American Committees on Foreign Relations

Study Mission to Poland:

Frontline State in the Architecture of Western Security

 

This itinerary outlines a Study Mission (Mission) to Warsaw and Gdańsk, Poland, scheduled from October 11 to 18, 2026.  The Mission will provide 20 ACFR Members a unique opportunity, through briefings and substantive discussion, to gain insights into Poland’s role as a forward defense line of Western democracy.  Foreign diplomats and NGO activists will join leading figures from Poland’s government, academia, and media to meet with Mission participants.

October in Poland offers crisp autumn air and fewer crowds, making it an ideal time to visit.  The Study Mission arrival will be in Warsaw, featuring informative briefings and cultural experiences in the capital of this crucial frontline state.  The Mission will visit Malbork and Gdansk, on the Baltic Sea, before return to Warsaw for departure home.

Two Zoom (virtual) overview briefings and recommended advance readings will be provided for Mission participants.  Mission cost will include lodging, breakfasts, some lunches, travel to/from Gdansk, museum tickets.  Airfare will not be included in the Mission cost, allowing participants to select preferred flight options (use of miles or points, business class,etc).  ACFR’s travel support will be able to help you with separate air travel, if requested.

DESTINATIONS

  • Warsaw is the political and cultural center of Poland.
  • Malbork is a 13th century Teutonic Order’s fortress and the world’s largest brick castle
  • Sopot on the Baltic Sea
  • Gdansk is a center of collective histories of Polish resistance to totalitarianism

DATES

  • MISSION: October 11-18, 2026
  • TRAVEL DAYS : October 10 to Warsaw and October 18 from Warsaw
  • AIRFARE (submit a request by clicking here)

COST

  • $4,200 (double room)
  • $3,800 (single room)
  • What’s Included
    • Accommodations in Warsaw and Gdansk
    • Breakfasts and 2 scheduled meals
    • Travel to/from Gdansk
    • All scheduled admissions (Chopin concert, Polin Museum, Malbork Castle, Stutthof Concentration Camp)
    • Taxes and fees
  •  What’s Not Included
    • Flights to/from Poland (click here to submit airfare request)
    • Local transportation
    • Personal meals
  • PAYMENT PLAN
    • $1000 deposit with application (fully refundable until July 1, 2026)
    • Full payment is due no later than August 10, 2026

ITINERARY (subject to change)

  • October 11
    • Arrivals in Warsaw
    • Evening cocktail gathering, dinner at your leisure
  • October 12
    • AM briefings to take place in hotel conference room: Polish Foreign Ministry officials, US Ambassador to Poland, OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, and NATO Ambassador(s)
    • Lunch Briefing Presentation by Polish Media and Civil Society ( Media, organizations focused on resistance to disinformation)
    • Afternoon explore Warsaw Old Town at your leisure
    • “Time for Chopin: Piano Concert” (group event) in the Old Town
    • Dinner at your leisure
  • October 13
    • AM Travel by coach to plenaries of the Warsaw Security Forum (WSF), one of Europe’s top security conferences, drawing participants and leaders from 90 countries https://warsawsecurityforum.org.
    • Lunch at WSF followed by return to Warsaw hotel
    • Visit to the Warsaw Uprising Museum
    • Dinner at your leisure
  • October 14
    • AM Briefing in hotel on Russia’s Hybrid War in Europe/Poland’s Civil Defense
    • After lunch departure travel to Gdansk (approx. 4.5 hours)
    • Stop in the town of Malbork, on the Nogat River, with a tour of the 13th-Century Malbork Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site.  The Castle was originally the Teutonic Order’s fortress and is the world’s largest brick castle
    • Arrive in Gdańsk and check into hotel
    • Dinner at your leisure
  • October 15
    • AM European Solidarity Centre (Lenin Shipyards): Poland’s independence history
    • Afternoon: Stutthof Concentration Camp site visit
    • Group dinner (TBC with local dignitary)
  • October 16
    • AM Check out of Gdansk hotel, coach with luggage to Sopot: walk the famous wooden pier and the Baltic Sea beach.
    • Drive to Warsaw and check into hotel
    • Embassy Reception followed by dinner at your leisure
  • October 17
    • Polin Museum: History of Poland’s Jews (to include lunch)
    • Free Afternoon in Warsaw
  • October 18
    • Travel day (ask for extension ideas)

QUESTIONS?

REGISTRATION

  • REGISTER with this link
  • PAYMENTS
    • Mail check to GO GLOBAL, 2404 Fox Hollow Court, Bartlesville OK 74006
    • Pay via credit card with this link (processing vendor will add 3.5% fee to this transaction)

Your payment is 100% protected. You may cancel for any reason at any time. If you cancel more than 61 days prior to departure, you will receive a full cash refund. If you must cancel less than 60 days before departure, you will receive Go Global travel credits equal to the payments made. Travel credits never expire, may be used for another tour, and are fully transferable.